the foundation media relations and successful media campaigns · emotion - love, hate, ......
TRANSCRIPT
The Foundation – Media Relations and
Successful Media Campaigns
Glen Nowak, Ph.D.
Senior Communications Specialist, National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC
Former Chief, Media Relations
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Warning Getting favorable news media
attention is often harder than it seems
(or you want it to be)
Competition for news media attention is fierce
News media priorities and practices matter most
Attracting and attractive to audience, not education
Need stories (and prefer shorter to longer)
Deadlines limit amount of research reporters can do
Stories – understand what that means
Interesting, relevant, compelling to the medium’s audience
Likely to offer more than one view
You want media interest, coverage –
Why?
Common Reasons for
Seeking News Media Attention
“Publicity” / (increased) visibility for organization, effort,
event
Media (i.e., some journalists, reporters, media outlets) are very
likely to be interested or deem newsworthy
Help shape or “frame” issue, how issue is thought about
“Educate” or increase awareness of – reporters, public,
specific population – to a finding, program, recommendation,
new report, new initiative, your position on an issue, etc.
Establish/build/maintain reputation (e.g., as expert, as
important program or effort, as doing good things)
“Third party endorsement”
Common Reasons News Media
May Turn to You or Seek You Out
Something about the you or your organization
Unique or unusual mission, activities, event
There’s a good story (e.g., human interest)
A reporter wants a reaction or needs “the other side”
To a new study or finding
To a proposal / proposed law / to a proposed change
A new initiative (e.g., campaign) / upcoming event
Your expertise – e.g., verify facts, get background
information, get good quotes, provide context
You’re a good and reliable resource
News Media Need News, which means. . .
Of interest/relevance to
the medium’s audience
Controversy / Criticism
Contradiction
Confrontation
Catastrophe
The Unexpected
Gossip / Scandal
Breakthrough
Human Interest
Entertainment
Cash-strapped states want workers to pay more of
their health care and pension costs. But some states
are going further, trying to end unions, CNNMoney
reports.
Characteristics of a good story
Conflict
Controversy
Contradiction
Confrontation
Catastrophe
Unexpected
Drama
Suspense
Gossip / Scandal
Emotion - love, hate,
reconciliation
Novel, unexpected
elements, developments
Sides in opposition
Relevant to your interests
Villian(s), victim(s),
hero(es)
Stories Need a Good Setup (e.g., headline)
CDC press releases:
“Many young children overdosing from medicines at home”
“Rotavirus vaccination leads to large decreases in health care costs
and doctor visits”
“Melanoma skin cancer has costly and deadly impact on America”
Recent news stories/articles:
“Bacteria From Mouth Can Lead to Heart Inflammation”
(Healthday, March 25)
“As Hoverflies grow, so do their acting skills,” New York Times
“This Just In: Healthy People Live Longer, Study Finds,” ABC
News Blog
Sound Bites, Quotes, and Key Messages
Framing matters
"The 40-year decline in tobacco in the United States has stalled. The industry
has gotten even better at sidestepping laws designed to get people to stop
smoking. They ensure that every cigarette they sell is designed to deliver
nicotine quickly and efficiently to keep people addicted.”
How you say what you say matters “This saves lives” vs. “This intervention has the potential to be impactful.”
Health messages need to be strong and clear
“The threat of untreatable infections is real,” says Arjun Srinivasan. “Although
previously unthinkable, the day when antibiotics don′t work in all situations is
upon us. We are already seeing germs that are stronger than any antibiotics we
have to treat them, including some infections in health care settings.”
Keep in mind. . .
“Reward” Risk
“Safe” Little, less or no
attention
A Framework to Guide You
Five Planning and Preparation Steps
Communication / media objectives (e.g., what are you trying to accomplish?)
What are your 2-5 “key messages” for a broader audience – and what is the story they tell?
Target audience(s)- who needs to hear the messages? What is/are the best way(s) to reach them?
What’s the “news” here? Would this make the news? Why? What’s the desired headline? Lead sentence?
If you get news media interested, 1) what are they likely to ask, 2) what else could they ask about or focus on, and 3) will their story be the same as yours?
Finding and Creating Opportunities
Common approaches
Press releases
Statements
E-mails
Letters to editor, op-eds, guest columns
Websites
Social media
Meetings, events
Visits (to the media)
Two things that also matter. . .
Targeting
Specific media, publications
Specific journalists, writers
Timing
Current events, including in other communities
Media tendencies (e.g., seasonal topics)
Press releases need to stand out and
offer highly likelihood of news
“Absenteeism can be strongly influenced by supervisors”
“US Department of Labor's OSHA revises Hazard Communication
Standard”
“White patients get better pain-related treatment from some doctors”
“Cheesecake Factory expands sub-600 calorie items on SkinnyLucious
menu”
“Moderate drinking associated with lower risk of stroke in women,”
“White rice ups diabetes risk”
“Sexual Deprivation Increases Ethanol Intake in Drosophila”
“Dr. Richard Birkel to Lead NCOA's Center for Healthy Aging”
“HHS: Health reform helps more than 5.1 million people with Medicare
save over $3.2 billion”
“Deprived of sex, jilted fruit flies drink more alcohol”
Sexually deprived male fruit flies exhibit a pattern of behavior that seems
ripped from the pages of a sad-sack Raymond Carver story: when female fruit
flies reject their sexual advances, the males are driven to excessive alcohol
consumption, drinking far more than comparable, sexually satisfied male flies.
Now a group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco
(UCSF) has discovered that a tiny molecule in the fly’s brain called
neuropeptide F governs this behavior—as the levels of the molecule change in
their brains, the flies’ behavior changes as well.
Flies in the laboratory will normally drink to intoxication if given the choice,
but this behavior is altered when neuropeptide F levels are altered in their
brains because of their sexual experiences. Mated flies are less likely to seek
out such rewarding experiences. Rejected flies, on the other hand, had lower
levels of neuropeptide F in their brains, and sought alternative rewards by
drinking to intoxication.
Things happening in the world also
can provide opportunities…
“Maryland looking to beef up vaccine requirements,” Baltimore Sun, May 15, 2012
“More than 160 students without vaccines banned
from school,” Scranton Times-Tribune, May 16, 2012
“Whooping cough outbreak has public health officials
wary,” USA Today, May 15, 2012
“Pharmacies offer shingles vaccine, but few get the
shot,” New Hampshire Eagle-Tribune, May 14, 2012
“Amid Rise in U.S. Measles Cases, High School
Parents Divided on Vaccinations,” U.S. News, May 15
Thanks!